Calories in biryani, pulao and plain rice

Biryani is the dish nobody wants to give up. The good news is you do not have to. You only need to know how much a normal plate really adds, and where the hidden calories come from.

By Muhammad IshfaqUpdated 25 October 20264 min read

Calories in rice dishes: the quick table

These are average values for normal home cooking. Hotel and wedding food usually has more oil, so it will be higher.

Where do the calories in biryani come from?

Biryani has three main parts: rice, meat and the masala made with oil or ghee. Rice and chicken are not the problem on their own. A cup of rice is about 210 calories and 100 g of chicken is about 165 calories.

The big difference comes from fat. One tablespoon of oil or ghee has about 120 calories. Many biryani recipes use half a cup (8 tablespoons) of oil or more for a pot that serves 5 or 6 people. That adds 150 to 200 calories to every plate before anyone has taken a bite. Fried onions (birista) add even more, because they soak up oil while frying.

Pulao is usually a little lighter than biryani because it is cooked in yakhni (stock) and often uses less oil. But a pulao made with lots of ghee can be just as heavy.

Why the restaurant plate is a different story

A home serving is often a level plate of about 300 g. A full plate at a biryani shop, or a wedding plate filled twice, can easily be 500 g. Add the extra oil many shops use, a sweet drink and a piece of kheer, and one meal can reach 1,200 calories. That is more than half of what many women need in a whole day.

You do not need to avoid eating out. Just know that one restaurant biryani is closer to two home plates, and plan the rest of your day around it.

Is white rice bad for you?

No. Rice has been the main food for billions of people for thousands of years. Plain rice has almost no fat, and basmati rice has a medium glycaemic index, which means it raises blood sugar more slowly than many other white rice types.

Some things to keep in mind:

• Portion is the key. A cup of rice is a fair portion for most adults. Two or three cups at one meal adds up fast.
• Brown rice has more fibre, which helps you feel full. It has about the same calories as white rice.
• Eat rice with protein and vegetables. Daal, chicken, fish or chana with your rice slows down the rise in blood sugar and keeps you full longer.
• If you have diabetes or high blood sugar, smaller rice portions and more vegetables help most. See our article on diet tips for high blood sugar.

How to enjoy biryani and still lose weight

1. Take one level plate, not a heaped one, and do not go back for seconds.
2. Ask for more chicken and less rice when you serve yourself. You get more protein and fewer calories.
3. Add a big bowl of raita and kachumber salad. They fill half your stomach for very few calories.
4. At home, cut the oil by half. Most people cannot tell the difference in taste. Measure it with a spoon instead of pouring from the bottle.
5. Bake or air-fry the onions instead of deep frying them.
6. Skip the sweet drink. A glass of cola adds about 140 calories. Have water or lemon water without sugar.
7. Make biryani a weekly treat, not a daily meal. On other days, plain rice with daal and sabzi gives you the same comfort for far fewer calories.

A simple rice plate for every day

Here is a filling lunch or dinner of about 500 calories:

• 1 cup of boiled rice (210 calories)
• 1 bowl of daal or chicken salan made with little oil (230 to 250 calories)
• Salad of cucumber, tomato and onion with lemon (30 calories)
• Half a cup of plain raita (40 calories)

This plate has about the same calories as one home plate of biryani, but it gives you more fibre, more vegetables and a much bigger plate of food. You can check any dish on our food calorie picker.

Common questions

How many calories are in one plate of chicken biryani?

A home plate of about 300 g has around 500 calories. A full restaurant plate of 450 to 500 g can have 750 to 850 calories, depending on how much oil is used.

Which has fewer calories, biryani or pulao?

Pulao is usually a little lighter, around 430 to 470 calories for a 300 g plate of chicken pulao, because it uses less oil and no fried onions. A pulao cooked with a lot of ghee can be just as high as biryani.

Does washing or draining rice remove calories?

Rinsing rice removes some surface starch and makes the grains less sticky, but it does not change the calories in a real way. Portion size and the oil you add matter much more.

Is it okay to eat rice at night?

Yes. Your body does not store rice as fat just because it is night. What matters is the total amount you eat over the whole day.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: rice, white, long-grain, cooked; rice, brown, cooked; chicken biryani. fdc.nal.usda.gov
2. Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad.
3. Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2021;114:1625-1632. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab233
4. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024. www.nin.res.in/dietaryguidelines
5. World Health Organization. Healthy diet, fact sheet. www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet

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